Four friends who used to visit the former Little Dicks Tavern in Finleyville recently bought and remodeled it and turned the pub into an upscale restaurant.
John Ruffalo, Brian Ferrence, Mic Connolly, and Greg Terpin are commercial pilots, all originally from the Washington County area and having worked together over the past several decades. Before closing more than two years ago, they met at Little Dicks, also known as Peters Creek Pub, for a beer or two.
The former employees there told the group of friends to buy and reopen the bar on 2103 Rankintown Road. A few months later they considered the suggestion over a drink and decided not only to buy the bar, but to take it to a new level.
“We didn’t know anything about running a restaurant before we bought it,” Ruffalo said in a recent interview. “We’re all pilots, we’ve all traveled the world, and we thought this area could use a nice gourmet restaurant because there is nothing real here and a lot of people are moving to this area.”
Her food choices are also inspired by her travels, Ruffalo said, with appetizers like Japanese wagyu, Chilean sea bass, Scottish salmon, elk, bison and shark. They also make their own ice cream and have an extensive wine list with selections from around the world.
“We saw a variety of these different places and restaurants that we went,” said Ruffalo. “In America you see a lot of cuttings.”
Last fall, they spent time remodeling the building, which was originally built as a hotel in 1876, Ruffalo said. Together they turned the two-story bar into an open plan dining area on one level with rustic decor. They called it Latitude 48, as a game in its location – 40 degrees north, 80 degrees west.
Just as their project was ready to go, the COVID-19 pandemic shut the state down in March.
“We were done building and probably a week before opening when COVID hit and shut everything down,” said Ruffalo.
Ferrence said they took the opportunity to “refine” things like finding and training staff on the many different wines and “the right way to serve” in a fine dining restaurant.
Connolly said while they might see “short term success” due to the pandemic, they are “long term in terms of personal food demand”. He said they want guests to make dinner a 2-3 hour experience.
“Especially in Western Europe, dinner is an event,” he said. “Most places do it for an entire evening. We’re in no hurry to turn the tables here. Our goal is for people to sit and enjoy their evening for as long as they want. You don’t see that here. “
In the few months they were open for dinner this year, they said the feedback from the community and their guests has been very positive. Ferrence said they drove people for almost an hour to eat there. He said they have items on their menu that people in the Pittsburgh area cannot get, Wagyu beef is one of them.
Ruffalo said that with the help of their three chefs Matthias Wedlake, Tim Tatel and David Galiffa they try to change the menu monthly. Tatel said he worked as a chef in Las Vegas for five years.
“When you work for large corporations, you usually stick to one concept and are limited in your creativity and your options,” he said. “An independent restaurant gives you more flexibility to be creative and come up with new products and fresh ideas.”
So he was happy about the opportunity that Latitude 48 offered, especially since the owners support their ideas for new specials and starters.
“The owners wanted to bring high-end groceries to a neighborhood that didn’t really have it,” said Tatel. “For a chef, it takes you back to the reason you started cooking – to create exciting food that people can share and enjoy.”
If the personal dining restrictions are lifted next month, Latitude 48 will be open at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations are recommended.
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